More than two tonnes of fresh Vietnamese lychees arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on June 2, marking the first shipment of this year's crop to France.

Vietnamese lychees have been sold in the US and are greatly appreciated for their quality. However, with the first batches having been sent to explore the market, greater efforts are now needed for bulk exports to go to the country.

The export of fruit and vegetables, especially lychees, contributed significantly to the Vietnam - Singapore trade in the first half of 2021, with Vietnam’s shipments surging 37.6 percent. The success of its lychee exports to the fastidious market has been parlayed into other farm produce, to further boost exports.

“Thieu” lychees from Vietnam have hit the shelves of Carrefour Tongre supermarkets in Brussels, Belgium, since June 23 thanks to efforts of the Vinamex company and partners in bringing the Vietnamese specialty fruit to Europe to utilise the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Fresh lychees from Vietnam have hit the shelves of a supermarket in the Netherlands and received warm response, expecting to make further inroads into this market in the time ahead.

The early-ripening “u hong” lychees from Thanh Ha district, the northern province of Hai Duong – a lychee farming hub of Vietnam, hit the shelves of Singaporean supermarkets on June 3.

Australian importers and owners of supermarkets and grocery stores have said they believe Vietnamese lychees will gain much favour among Australian consumers this year and sell quickly thanks to their high quality.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has said that the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan is continuing to coordinate with relevant domestic authorities as well as supermarket networks and distributors in Japan to promote Vietnamese lychees among Japanese consumers.

A year after Japan first opened its market to Vietnamese lychees, the export and consumption of the fruit have been going smoothly despite COVID-19, Vietnam’s trade office in the Northeast Asian country said.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Australia has worked with local farm produce importers to sell some 100 tonnes of Vietnamese “thieu” lychees in southern and western states.

More than 8 tonnes of lychees were sold out after 8 hours available online via MoMo e-wallet, said the Saigon Union of Trading Co-operatives (Saigon Co.op) on June 10.

The northern province of Hai Duong is taking the necessary measures to export fresh lychees to Japan in 2020.

Vietnam has become the second largest exporter of lychees in the world, accounting for 19 per cent of the global market share, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science.

The first batch of one tonne of Luc Ngan “thieu” lychees was exported to Thailand by the Central Group (Thailand) and Hanoi-based Phong Son Tiem Limited Company.